


Drowning

by sunnysideup



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-25
Updated: 2012-07-25
Packaged: 2017-11-10 17:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/468875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnysideup/pseuds/sunnysideup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of 2x23 - There's one man they all go to for help - what happens to him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drowning Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some swear words in this fic and big spoilers for 2x22 and 2x23 in particular. Grace and Kamekona play fleeting visits.

Danny shakes his head and swears a little, under his breath for Grace is sat by him reading a book, and listens as the number continues to ring out. Without realizing he blows out a mighty breath and wipes his face distractedly.

He types in a couple of numbers on the keypad and puts the phone to his ear again. Immediately he gets a message telling him the cell is turned off with no chance to leave a message. He jabs angrily at the end call key and has to fight the urge to fling his own cell at the wall. Grace being here saves his cell.

She looks up from her book, pursing her lips together and in one swift movement and before Danny realizes, she's putting her arms round her Dad.

'Hey monkey, what's all this?' He asks enjoying her embrace but not knowing what he's done to deserve it.

She pulls away from him and sits next to him looking serious and reminding him so much right now of her mom.

'I'm giving you this hug so you can give it to Uncle Steve when he starts talking to you again and, well I figure you need it too Danno'. She smiles.

'How'd I get to be so lucky with you, hey monkey?' and she beams making him wish once again he could film every single moment he spends with her rather than having to commit it to memory for the times they're apart. In the corner of his eye, he can see her little trolley bag ready for the flight to Vegas in a couple of hours 'Anyway, Uncle Steve **is** talking to me, just in fewer words than normal and in between grunting and looking dramatically out of windows'.

'That's why you need to give him a hug, Daddy'. She says it in a way that suggests he's stupid for not realizing this. Despite all she's seen and knows, he's glad she still thinks that most problems can be solved with a hug.

'That right, Gracie?' he reaches for her putting his arm round her 'How about you give me another one so I can practice for Uncle Steve, huh?' She eagerly obliges and dissolves into giggles as the hug turns into tickles and for a moment he forgets everything.

* * *

He's aware first of the house phone ringing for what feels like hours but was probably only a couple of minutes, even the way the phone kept ringing reminded him of Danny. He's turned the answering machine off. He doesn't want or need to hear another person's voice, not right now. He suspects his cell was the next choice but he's covered for that by turning it off. A risky game for the Head of the Five 0 but he's too tired and strung out to care.

He sits on the couch staring into space and shuts his eyes until her face crops up again and he snaps his eyes wide open again.

It's little more than ten days since everything turned on its head and whenever he thinks of the moment he saw her, he feels the breath start to leave him again like someone's got him in his chest.

He can't think about what was said or how things ended there and then but every night unbidden when he closes his eyes, it all comes flooding back. When he was a Seal he heard all about how your mind will protect you against traumatic events and block them out. Well, in this case his mind is trying its best but so far it's fighting a losing battle.

And while all this goes on, he's aware that his 5-0 Ohana are all fighting their own battles. Chin with his daily vigils at the hospital praying for some sign that Malia will wake up, Kono with her miraculous escape from the water though she won't say how she got out of it, or who helped her. If he was on top of his game like normal, he'd put two and two together, but he can barely put one foot in front of the other right now, never mind mathematical calculations.

And then there's Danny. Embroiled in a fight to keep his daughter in the country and yet, he's the glue that's kept this family together or at least attempted to.

He knows him well enough to know that the calls Danny's put in to him, have been replicated to Kono and Chin. For a moment, he feels a stab of guilt that no one's done the same for him or at least he hasn't. That guilt he dismisses hurriedly but files away for later.

He's about to lie down on the couch when there's a sharp rap at the door. It's not Danny that's for sure, he doesn't recognize the tone of it at all and that immediately puts him on edge. He reaches behind the cushion next to him on the couch as there's a louder more insistent rap. He says nothing but readies his pistol just in case.

He's afraid, no make that terrified of who should be be on the other side of the door and if his fears are proved right, he really doesn't need a gun. He wants to slap himself or preferably get Danny to instead when he's almost hoping it's Wo Fat fresh from an escape from the prison. As if he'd knock. He almost smirks to himself but instead mutters a brief 'please god' and opens the door.

'Son, what are we gonna do with you?' Joe White, yeah, he didn't want to see him either.

* * *

'Yeah, she's unchanged, but they're lowering the sedation to see if there's any sign of life starting tomorrow so I guess, well, yeah' Chin runs out of words just as he always does at the thought of what tomorrow could bring for better or worse.

The voice on the other end of the phone is calming and when he hears the young female voice shouting her hellos and sending her love to him and Malia, he almost smiles.

'Thanks for phoning brah, Steve'll be okay and Kono, well I think she'll be okay too, till we have to deal with how it came about that she's okay that is anyway' Danny murmurs his agreement and just says 'Chin, all I gotta say is Pomaika`I'

Chin's out of words and so Danny just says 'It's okay - I know' and with that the sound is gone and he puts the cell on the side table.

The only sound left in the room is that of the equipment keeping his wife alive. He squeezes her hand again a little too hard in the vain hope she'll punch the crap out of him for causing her pain or more realistically, flinch even slightly from the pain. There's nothing.

He thinks back to the conversation with Danny and swears slightly when in remembering the call he doesn't think he asked how Danny was at all, sure he mentioned Steve and Kono but not once did he ask how he was doing especially with the custody case and Grace going to Vegas today.

He's about to reach for his phone again when the door opens and Malia's doctor enters so he sets it down making a mental note to call him later.

'Hey doc, everything okay?'

* * *

Kono has been sat in her car for so long, she's lost all sense of time and space. She stares out the window and into the sea and reaches for the door handle again but it's like a hot potato when she touches it. She curses and makes a decision in that moment.

Screw all this and screw what happened. She reaches for the door handle and pulls it, jumping outside before she can change her mind.

She breathes in the sea air, she's missed being so close to it and then reaches for the back seat and her board, slamming the door shut behind her.

She hesitates again but some kind of invisible force marches her onto the beach and closer to the sea.

She removes her top and bottoms so she's stood in her two piece and puts her car keys and cell underneath and lifts her board underneath her arm. It's a quiet beach and they all know Kono whether it's for her surfing, for her career or a combination of the two and despite everything, she feels safe from harm here.

Well, on the beach anyway.

She turns to face the sea. It angers her that she feels this way now, the one place she felt 100% at home and yet she's hesitating now as if she's two years old again.

She tells herself as she has done every time she's woken up in the night since with a start that what happened was a one off, some psychopath's vengeance that would never happen again and anyway how were they to know that by trying to kill her that way, she, the water baby would be affected like this?

No one knows that this is the fourth time she's stood on this beach attempting to get back in the water again. Well, no one except Danny that is.

She stands for another ten minutes attempting to move her feet but they're frozen and the board is digging into her arm with the tense way she's holding it. She tries to move again but nothing happens so with a strangled sob, she throws her board to the ground and the tears begin to fall.

She doesn't bother putting her top and bottoms back on but shoves them under one arm, grabbing her keys and cell with one hand while reaching for the board with the remaining free hand and feels the tears tumbling down her cheeks.

Her cell starts to ring just as she gets to the car so she,props the board against the driver door, glances at who it is, shakes her head and shouts what she hopes is a convincingly cheerful greeting 'Hey brah, what's up?'

Within seconds and with the expertise of the most skilful of psychologists, Danny unlocks her emotions and she dissolves into pitiful heaving sobs.

* * *

After a couple of minutes of Joe stood at the front door, the dutiful polite soldier in Steve wins against his own wishes and he invites him in.

Well, invite is probably too strong a word for the fact that he turned away from the door without a sound but left it open.

He heads to the kitchen and prepares the green tea he knows Joe is partial to. All the while just going through the motions of being polite for this most unwelcome of guests, all the while with no sound.

He moves into the lounge and seeing Joe on the couch sets it down in front of him. Steve move back away from him, standing, arms folded. Saying nothing, still.

He swears he can see the ghost of a smirk on Joe's face and so help him, he wants to just leap over there and wipe it off his face but he doesn't, even though the fingers on one hand are now digging into his other arm.

'Why didn't you stay longer for your mother, son?' Joe says and then continues 'After all we went through, all the precautions, all the effort and you stay there for less than 15 minutes?' And he actually has the gall to sound disappointed, hurt even.

Steve's hand digs even deeper to the point where his nails are drawing blood. He doesn't trust himself to speak but from somewhere he manages to get the words out, calmly even, at first anyway.

'I don't have to explain myself to you, you're the last person I have to say sorry to, and that's the case for her too, there's nothing anyone could say that could explain to me why someone, anyone could not have told one of us she was at least okay' He unfolds his arms and raises his hands to his face 'Do you know what it was like to lose my mom like that, to have my family taken away and separated, to have my sister thinking she'd lost her mom and my father, what it did to him'

He doesn't realize it but his voice is rising. 'And this was all happening and she was alive, and you, YOU could've said something, anything , I would've understood, I would've kept calm, I wouldn't have endangered my mother, yet YOU and HER, you made the decision for us and now, I'm expected to welcome her back and just be delighted she's okay'. There's a small laugh.

Joe moves to speak but Steve puts his hand out warning while a finger from his other hand moves up to his mouth in a shushing gesture.

'You don't get to tell me anything any more, there's a chance, minuscule though it is that one day, some time I don't know when that I'll want to see her and have her explain it to me when I won't then want to do stuff that no son should ever want to do or say to his Mom, but _you,_ you can get out and never come back'.

He stares at Joe like he would at the worst type of criminals he's dealt with and inside he's doubtful that this is what he really wants but right now he hates this man almost as much as Wo Fat, Anton Hesse, Victor Hesse and anyone else who's fucked up his miserable life so far, daring him to speak.

Joe's expression resembles that of regret but he's seen this before on this man and he just doesn't believe it anymore so as Joe stands up and silently nods before moving to the door, he doesn't look at him telling himself it's the right decision.

He's not surprised that Joe doesn't intend to leave without any comment.

'It wasn't just your mother's choice, son, nor mine' He moves to the door 'She'll be waiting for you, we both will, don't let us down'.

He's gone and out the door before the words really hit Steve and he tries to move after him but the implication of the first words followed by the the second set leave him unable to move.

And suddenly he can't cope alone so he fumbles blindly on the couch till he finds the cell and dials.

* * *

The door closes behind the Doctor and Chin turns to Malia - he really is no medical genius but after the second attempt at an explanation, it would appear that his wife may just get out of this, they're coming back shortly to start the slow process of returning her hopefully to consciousness, ahead of schedule and with good brain function test results, he's nothing short of overjoyed.

He realizes that's out of proportion given all that's still to come and the risk of failure but he just wants to share, the one person he wants to share with is unconscious and two other people are out of action.

The only logical choice is the man who's been his rock these past days anyway and he dials.

* * *

She has the board under her arm as she strides from the car, purposefully. Danny Williams really needs to be put into some kind of tablet form to be used for the good of everyone not just those lucky enough to be his Ohana.

Never mind that since she spoke to him, well sobbed in his cell to him while he murmured common sense and soothing words into hers, she's not moved for over an hour, not till now anyway.

She's not willing to stop now, not until she's in the sea and as she nears it, tossing off her flip flops and feeling the water trickling then cascading over her feet, she can't describe how she feels, she won't cry, she can't cry so instead as she carries on walking and the sea takes her further in and she bends forward onto the surfboard, she laughs and then she screams with delight and the first sight that comes to her when she shuts her eyes as a wave hits her face, is Danny's face, not the white light that beckoned her before.

And though she wants to stay in there forever lest the terror comes back as soon as she leaves the water, she has to speak to him now, to thank him and so she runs back to the car opening the driver door, reaches onto the dash and picks up her cell, presses speed dial and waits.

* * *

Danny's always considered himself to be a decent guy, his child apparently loves him, well a little bit at least if the tears she shed as he bade her farewell as she walked off with the nice stewardess to get her flight were anything to go by, his friends turn to him when they need support and a bit of reassurance, except for the stubborn ass that is Steven McGarrett, but he knows full well that when the moment comes, which it will, for Steve to reach out, it's him he'll go to.

He considers that only a few minutes ago he's done a pretty good job of counselling Kono and looked forward to her calling him back to say she'd done it.

And for Chin, he knows Chin will invite him round to say mahalo courtesy of Malia's fine cooking when she's back home and well again which she will be.

He knows he's a good man and that's not arrogance, it's just fact.

And with that in mind, he struggles to understand why bad things can happen so quickly and even more so that they still happen to the good guys, and yeah well him in particular.

As he left the airport, his attorney phoned him and called asking him to meet up with her.

And now it's all gone to shit and he knows damn well that Steve's picked a few moments ago to call him, and god knows what's happened to Malia and he hopes Kono hasn't drowned but right now he needs them and he just hopes they've the brains to call each other for a change.

As he's drowning right now and he's not sure a hug can solve everything after all.


	2. Drowning part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings as before.

It takes four attempts at calling Danny for Steve to get really concerned. He'd half expected him to not to respond the first time, maybe in some small way he was punishing him for acting like an uncommunicative ass for the last ten days but when he didn't answer the third or fourth time and just like himself, the lack of an option to leave a message meant the cell was turned off, this threw alarm signal bombs all over his head.

Not unusual for Steve maybe, but completely unheard of for Danny especially when Grace may phone him at any time.

All thoughts of his mother and Joe temporarily out the window and on some level he feels relieved, a distraction albeit unwelcome with the concern it brings , it's a distraction all the same and for the first time in days he has a clear head.

He thinks for a moment, there's several things he wants to do all at the same time but he's nothing if not an effective multi-tasker, so he turns his cell back on while reaching for his home phone and calls one number on it, while hitting speed dial on the other phone.

Chin answers first.

'Steve? That you? Good to hear from you brah' and he actually sounds it. Though why that's a surprise, only Steve can answer.

'Hey Chin, it's good to hear your voice, is Malia okay?' It's a genuine question but he's distracted by thoughts of Danny and the ringing sound as he tries to reach Kono on his Cell.

'She's, well, I'm hopeful and if you'd asked me that 2 hours ago, it'd have been a completely different answer, how are you?'

Steve presses the end call button on his cell and sighs. 'Ain't that the question and there's plenty of time to answer but that's not what I've called' he pauses 'Apart from wanting to hear about Malia, have you heard from Danny recently?'

'Actually, no and I tried to call him a few minutes ago and his cell was turned off, not like him at all, especially lately'. What Chin doesn't say is more significant than what he does.

'Yeah. I hear ya, he's been like my very own personal tinnitus torturer the past ten days and ordinarily I wouldn't fuss over him but it's not like him and I shouldn't be I know but I'm worried'.

'You spoken to Kono yet? I know she's had her own personal hotline to him as well'

'Just tried, and no answer' He considers his options. 'Listen Chin, I know you're busy at the hospital but could you keep trying Kono and I'll go to Danny's apartment and see if there's any sign of life'.

'You even have to ask?' is the other man's brief response.

Steve smiles 'I guess not, keep in touch huh Chin and not just about Danny?' They say goodbye and Steve reaches for his car keys and puts his cell in a pocket in his pants and heads for the door.

* * *

Truth is Danny feels pretty naked without his cell being turned on. The truth is though that he feels there's pretty much nothing anyone can do right now to help him , this one he has to figure out for himself.

He picks up the small bag, reaches for his car keys and heads to the door turning the light off in the small living room of his apartment and slamming the door behind him. There's a choice here he has to make. Fight or flight? Why choose though? What's the harm in both?

* * *

Steve's driving when his cell starts to ring. He presses the accept call button as he sees who it is.

'Hey Kono, you spoken to Chin?' He asks all business immediately.

'Good to hear you too boss, how are you? I'm fine thanks by the way' There's no mistaking the sarcasm in her voice and he almost laughs.

He starts again. 'Sorry Kono, are you okay?' He hears her soft laughter down the phone.

'I'm kidding boss, yeah I spoke to him, and I was just heading over to Danny's apartment myself when he rang, he pretty much did an amazing thing for me today' she lets out a small laugh and corrects herself 'Actually, he's been amazing since this all happened and I called to thank him and he's not there' She pauses and quietly adds 'I'm worried'.

Hearing someone else voice his concerns just ups the urgency in his mind and the speedometer increases a notch.

Still, he's not the boss for nothing so without feeling any real conviction, he attempts to summon some hope in his voice.

'He'll be okay, this is Danny' The silence on the other end of the line speaks volumes. 'I'll be at Danny's within ten minutes, see you there'.

'Make it five' is all she says. So he speeds up some more.

* * *

Chin has never been one for sitting on his hands while other people do all the work and yet here he is watching the medical staff work on bringing Malia back to him while Kono and Steve look for Danny.

So he paces instead, alternating between looking through the window of the room Malia is in and staring at his cell in case someone, anyone, preferably Danny calls.

The medics show effortless calm as they work on Malia, just as she would on others in a similar situation.

He glances back at his phone and as he looks back into the room, he's overcome with a sudden feeling of tiredness and makes it to the chairs just a couple of feet up the corridor and sits.

Leaning forward, he begins to pray.

* * *

Steve arrives after 6 minutes - pretty superhuman given the distance he travelled but even so he can see the grin on Kono's face as she stands relaxed against her driver door.

'I was just about to put out my beach towel and have a nap, what took you so long boss?'

He flips her the bird and she laughs, then in one quick movement her arm are around him and she leans her head against his chest. There's only one thing he can do in this situation and well, that's hug her right back. There's so much to say still but that hole that reopened in his heart 10 days ago closes a fraction in her embrace.

She breaks the hug after about 30 seconds and looks up at him and she looks every bit as young as she always did, to those who didn't know her well, nothing would appear changed, he can tell the tell tale smudges underneath her eyes though, evidence of a lack of sleep and whatever else.

He suspects it's like looking in a mirror. Apparently he's drifted off some place as his thoughts are interrupted by a small cough.

'You wanna go see if we can find him?' she gestures towards the stairs and he nods feeling for his gun, hoping he doesn't need it, but it's habitual more than anything.

They take the stairs two steps at a time and arrive at the door. He can't explain the nerves he suddenly feels but they're there nevertheless.

Kono knocks on the door two, maybe three times. Nothing, no sound from inside, so she tries again. Still nothing.

Steve tries one more time, louder, more insistent. And there's no sound.

She shrugs and they exchange a glance. She's fully expecting in the next moment for the door to come free of it's hinges and god knows what barrel load of crap Danny'll give Steve for wrecking his door when they see him. If…no she scolds herself don't even say the word.

Instead though, super navy ninja seal Steve is also apparently channelling James Bond as he pulls a pin from one of his pockets and fiddles with the door. It's open within a minute and Steve gestures for Kono to go ahead of him, though ever alert, he senses no danger here.

'Impressive boss, very impressive though quite why you haven't displayed that skill before rather than knocking down doors only you know'

He grins. 'I figured it would give Danny one less thing to complain about when he turns up'.

They look around the living room and kitchen for any clues or signs of life and there's nothing aside from a glass on the small table and some drawings by Grace.

Kono moves into the bathroom and there's no sign of life there either. It's like Danny disappeared off the face of the earth. She opens the medicine cabinet and looks at the variety of shampoos on the shelf for any clues when she hears Steve.

'Kono'.

She walks into the bedroom where Steve is holding up two pieces of paper. Her face must betray the feeling of horror as Steve immediately says 'Woah, it's okay but I think we have our first clues'.

Kono follows him into the living area and they sit down on the couch as he hands the papers to her. She reads through the first sheet and it's in a childlike scrawl:

_**Dear Danno,** _

_**I love you so much, I promise to never stop hugging you and I'll miss you so much.** _

_**Please give uncle steve a big hug and tell Auntie Kono I can't wait to learn to surf next time and Uncle Chin that Auntie Malia will wake up soon. I really love you Daddy, I wish I wasn't going to Las Vegas…. Please come see me soon. from your monkey.** _

She smiles and then looks at the other sheet of paper. On either side of the paper are several notes , on one side the name of what she guesses is a law firm, a telephone number she presumes is that of the firm and some notes, she turns the page over and sees dollar signs with figures next to them and the telephone numbers of several travel agents.

Looking back at the notes, several words leap out from the page.

No custody. Criminal record. Unreliable father.

She blinks and looks up at Steve who shrugs. 'Danny? Our Danny? There's just no way that could be Danny'.

Steve shakes his head. 'It isn't and we've got two things to do, one is speak to that law firm and find out what the hell is going on and two, we find out where he's going'.

'I'll speak to Chin, he can maybe speak to some guys at the airport and I have an idea who else may be able to help' at Steve's blank look 'You've been out the game too long, boss, Kamekona of course'.

He shakes his head. 'How could I forget?' and they head for the door.

* * *

Rachel always used to beat him up, metaphorically anyway, about his obsession about arriving at an airport stupidly early. And here he is again sitting in a café at Oahu Airport waiting for a flight that leaves in over 4 hours but he's got nowhere else to go and he's damned if he's going to speak to people who may talk him out of this harebrained idea of his.

So instead he munches on the malasadas and leafs absentmindedly through People magazine wishing he was anywhere but here and in any situation but this.

* * *

It turns out that Danny probably picked the laziest law firm in the whole Hawaii state as the recorded message cheerfully informs Kono and Steve that the office hours are until 4pm each day and to leave a message.

That won't do so immediately Kono phones up the HPD and within 5 minutes she has the cell number of their primary child custody attorney.

She's got a feeling Steve may want to weigh in on this call so she dials the number on Steve's hands free and it's answered within seconds.

If it's possible to feel an instant dislike for someone you've never met and just heard them say their name, then this guy has that talent and she hates him immediately.

'Chet Rogers, who is this?'

'Mr Rogers, my name is Steve McGarrett, head of the H50 - I believe you've been handling a child custody case on behalf of Danny Williams'

There's an audible intake of breath on the other end. 'Jeez, I knew I shouldn't have taken on some cop's case, it never works out.. Listen buddy, I just told him a few home truths and if he wanted some guy who could promise him the earth where his kid was concerned, then I'm not the guy he needs, nah, the guy he needs is Santa Claus' He snorts a little laughing at his own joke.

Steve surprises Kono by playing it cool initially. 'Oh I know, Danny's one difficult customer right?'

Rogers murmurs his agreement then Steve continues.

'What in particular swayed it for you against Williams then?'

'I just did a background check on the name Williams and saw about his family connections with his brother and well, runs in the family that kind of stuff, right? And well even if he's not dirty, he's a cop, no court in the land would award custody to a cop - I got better things to do than waste my time even if it's easy money to string him along'.

There's about a million things that Steve and Kono want to say in return, there's just one thing they want to do right now and since reaching into a cell phone to beat the living crap out of some idiot who's shattered a friend's hopes is not possible, nor apparently is it legal, Steve's next words have to do instead.

'Just hear this, if you're even qualified as a lawyer with any standing at all around here which I very much doubt, I promise to make it my business to end you on this island , there would no child luckier than Danny's daughter to live with her father and you will not take this away from him, you'd better hope that we find him before he does anything to jeopardise this' Steve stabs at the end call button and for a moment there's silence as he grips his hands on the steering wheel.

'That's a whole new level of control for you, boss, wait till I tell Danny about your new cuddly friendly exterior'

He grins and the grip relaxes a little.

'I'll call Chin, get him to get Kamekona on this, you call HPD, see if you find out if he's on any flights to Vegas tonight'. She pauses for a moment and he smirks and just says one thing complete with a mock salute.

'Yes, boss'

* * *

He's holding Malia's hand when his cell rings and the nurse in front of him, looks up at him at the sound and smiles and leaves the room.

'Hey cuz' comes the bright voice on the other end 'How's Malia? Any news?'

'Nothing yet Kono, but it's early days and they seem pretty confident, they said it could a couple of days to get her back, anyway, any sign of Danny?'

'Nothing yet but we have a couple of leads and I wondered if you could speak to Kamekona while we check out with HPD if he's listed on any flights to Vegas'.

'Vegas? You think he's going to see Rachel? Yeah, figures…I'll speak to him now, see if anyone's seen him'.

'Thanks brah, tell Malia I said hello when she wakes up' Kono says and her words are echoed by Steve in the background.

In truth, though it's a small thing he's glad he has something to do, something worthwhile, something small to help Danny. He gently removes his other hand from Malia's and whispers in hear 'I won't be gone long baby'.

He moves out into the corridor and dials the first number he has for the big Hawaiian, unsurprised when it comes back as unrecognizable, he attempts another number and then on the third time of asking, his booming voice answers.

'Hey brah, it's Chin Ho Kelly..' and before he can complete his sentence, Kamekona interrupts.

'Chin, brah, how's your lady? That's some bad stuff that happened'

'She'll be okay, we need your help though man, Danny Williams has disappeared and we're a little worried'.

'That dumb haole, what's he done now?'

'We hope nothing, but our best guess is he's booked on a flight and while we're waiting for passenger lists, we thought we'd go to the oracle himself'.

The laughter is almost infectious. 'You guys talk some fine shit, brah but you ask me? I find out, I'll phone some people and call you back'.

The call ended, he sends a brief prayer that there will finally be good news to come and heads back into Malia's room.

* * *

Danny stares at the cell in front of him, turned off still but he wants to turn it back on. He wants to know how Malia is, he's desperate to know if Kono made it back into the ocean and goddamit, he wants to wring Steve McGarrett's neck but as he moves his finger to the on button, the 'don't do it' part of his brain wins out once again and instead he rummages in the bag for another malasada, picks up his bag and heads for security.

* * *

All it takes is two seperate calls and five minutes of waiting and they have the flight Danny is taking at 10.30pm that night. Just a little less than 3 hours away, there's plenty of time but still Steve attacks the road as if it was five minutes till the flight.

No words right now, they save them for Danny.

* * *

Kamekona comes through, of course he does and informs Chin that he was seen just five minutes ago in the café in the Inter Island terminal at Oahu airport. He thanks Kamekona and immediately calls Kono and Steve who are on their way, now armed with this information, he hopes they can find him sooner.

He puts the cell down and puts his other hand on top of Malia's. And with both hands he squeezes her then lifts her hand up and kisses her fingers. He's about to set them down when he thinks he's imagining it but there's a small movement, probably a reflex he reasons but he squeezes her hand again and this time, it's reciprocated and he murmurs 'Yes, come on' before she squeezes again as if she's alerting him to something so he looks up and through heavily lidded eyes, he can see the most beautiful eyes he's ever known, her eyes shut again almost immediately but she's back and he whispers 'mahalo' under his breath.

He presses the red button on the pad next to him and kissing her on the cheek, moves to the door to greet the medics as they arrive.

* * *

Danny heads through security and emerges to the few shops on the other side, he walks in the first shop and spots the ideal gift for Grace and goes to the register to pay for it. He considers for a moment seeing if he can get some kind of silver bladed knife to hand to Rachel to replace the one she placed in his back but figures that won't wash with the homeland security guys so instead he finds a plastic seat to sit on near gate 58 and resumes his wait.

* * *

They arrive at the Inter Island terminal a few minutes later and race from where they park to the café that Chin had told them Danny was last seen at.

They look around them and can see no trace of Danny so Steve asks the server at the counter 'You had a guy here not long ago, short kind of guy, slicked back blond hair, wears a tie?'

The woman nods in recognition. 'This guy's popular right? Mr Kamekona called a few minutes ago asking after him, he left a few minutes ago, probably went through security'. and she points behind them and up the escalators.

Steve's gone without a thank you so Kono waves in acknowledgement and catches up with him.

They move fast through the ticketing check in hall and Kono momentarily wonders how they'll get through security but once again Steve has it covered and waves his badge to get them through with a short explanation. The guy looks unconvinced until his superior recognizes Steve and shakes his hand before waving them through after Steve and Kono temporarily surrender their guns to be put through the machine.

As they pass through security, they enter the large waiting area which has seats, more cafes and shops with a sign to the gates. Kono looks on the information screen and sees flight number HA8 on the board leaving from gate 58, she checks her watch, still over 2 hours till it leaves.

As she turns around to speak to Steve, he's not there so she raises her arms in exasperation and sets out to find not just one but two errant hotheads.

* * *

It's as Danny finishes off the last malasada and wipes his fingers on the ears of the toy monkey he bought in the gift shop that he suddenly wishes he could speak to someone, anyone, but preferably someone who wouldn't judge him, so well that ruled out Rachel for a start, he turns on the cell and just as he debates who on his list he should try to call, the phone beeps, not once, twice or three times but it's in the 30s, the attempts that people have made to call him and he smiles for the first time in what feels like days but is actually a matter of hours when he said goodbye to Grace at this very airport.

He goes to press speed dial when the phone drops out of his hand so he leans forward and then drops the monkey. It's as he goes to pick up the toy monkey that he hears the footsteps, like a troop of mens footsteps but it's a sound he recognizes as just one man so he stands up monkey brandished high and turns to face him.

Steve's worried face changes into one of slight amusement at the sight of the monkey. 'Classy monkey Danno, classy'

Danny rolls his eyes. 'Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse and here he turns up proving me wrong' He looks Steve up and down taking in the tired and wan pallor. 'Good to see ya babe'.

'You too Danno, but what's all this? What's this going to achieve you running to Vegas to confront Rachel? What's it going to do to Grace?'

Danny scoffs a little 'A lecture seriously? From you? The king of all hotheadedness, I've been your guru of calm for the last couple of years and here you are lecturing me when may I remind you Steven, you have been off the radar, not once, but twice' he gestures with two fingers to emphasize his point 'in less than a few months, so pardon me if I don't take too much notice of you telling me not to do anything stupid when you are after all the expert in it'

'Someone I know not too far away from me might say that would make an expert in telling people to not do as I do' Steve counters and though Danny wouldn't admit it to Steve's face, he's missed this banter so very much. All that said, he's not ready to back down just yet.

'I hear what you say Steve, but I gotta fight for Grace, the attorney told me because of Matt's criminal record and my job, I've not got a prayer of keeping Grace here so I gotta plead with Rachel, please understand, I have to keep Grace here on this island'.

Steve's voice is soft 'I understand, I know what it's like to be apart from a parent, I'm the poster child for how it doesn't help a kid but this isn't the way to do it Danny and that guy, that lawyer if he even is one, he knows nothing, you just find another Attorney and you start the process again'.

Danny lets out a cynical little laugh. 'If it were only that simple but a cop's wage with an apartment in Hawaii and a child to want to help with, I'm pleased if the guy's even attempting to be an Attorney and can spell Attorney right, never mind be qualified, I've got no other choice except this' he gestures towards the plane 'I go to Vegas, throw myself at Rachel's mercy and hope for the best'.

'If it's money, I'll get you the best Attorney money can buy Danny, and you can pay me back, it's not a pity party, what you've done for all of us and well, me, you didn't need to and I threw back it at you and yet you kept trying, money means nothing next to that' he pauses 'Just let me help you, and Kono and Chin, we all want to, whatever it takes, just don't go to Vegas for a fight, go there to see Grace and to talk with Rachel of course, go tonight but not for a fight Danny'.

'Where'd you get to be so clever with your words, huh babe?' Danny may be making light but all Steve said makes sense, and he knows he's true to this word that he'll get the best lawyer and he won't do it for charity but Danny has a strong sense of pride so he's about to shake his head, thank Steve but head off for a fight when the cavalry turns up.

'He's right brah' says one voice to the left of Steve followed by another voice 'He is'.

Seeing Kono sends him to the edge of where his emotions are but Chin? Chin, who's been at his wife's bedside since the nightmare began for him and yet he's here to talk down some stupid New Jersey tie wearing idiot, well the tears start to well at his eyelids and then tumble down his cheeks because he IS a good guy and he does deserve this and maybe Grace was right after all, so he moves forward to them all and well, he hugs them one by one. Yeah, Grace was right. As if there was any doubt.

* * *

'Final boarding call for flight HA8 leaving from gate number 58, will any final passengers please make their way to the gate immediately'.

They're on a quartet of plastic seats just by the doors to the gate where the Hawaiian air staff are taking the final boarding passes. It's an easy silence. They're all talked out. Turns out that there was a good reason for arriving crazily early for the flight in the end.

He stands up, decision made. 'I want to go see Grace, I'm fed up with this monkey already' he says prodding the stuffed animal for his hand. 'And yes mom' he looks pointedly at Steve who smirks 'I promise not to fight too much and I promise to call every day as long as you do the same'

Steve simply nods and smiles.

'Same goes for you too Kono, and you Chin, I only want good news about Malia'.

'You can count on it, brah' Chin replies and then they stand up to join him each hugging him and waving as he disappears through the gate.

* * *

Chin, Kono and Steve walk away back towards the car park where Chin will go back to Malia's bedside and Steve and Kono to their homes before they regroup as a temporarily smaller team in Danny's absence the next day.

Chin's phone beeps and Steve and Kono turn to face him expectantly, news of Malia foremost on their mind when Chin curses and it's so unlike him but any real concern is dashed immediately as Chin speaks.

'I forgot to say, as part of the deal for helping us find Danny, I agreed with Kamekona that we'd sell shave ices on a day of his choosing and an outfit of his choosing' He turns the phone round with a picture of the outfit and Steve just shakes his head while hitting speed dial on his phone as Kono giggles happily and the next sound they hear is 'Danny, get off that plane NOW'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue to come shortly where we tie up some loose ends a bit.


	3. Drowning part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers/warnings as before

_9 WEEKS LATER - MOKULEIA BEACH (ARMY BEACH)_

It's just past 7pm by the time the four figures lay their mats on the beach, it takes less than five minutes for 3 of the figures to put up the two tents and the remaining figure to get the fire burning.

Another ten minutes later and they're enjoying the sausages and some solitude at last. Steve glances at his cell but at the sound of Danny's cough and muttered 'idiot turn it off' he surprises them all and does just that.

9 weeks have passed , 6 of them without Danny and since Danny's return they've been a little busy. The bandage that adorns Steve's upper arm and the bruising on the left side of his face bears witness to the brief but terrifying minutes that McGarrett was in the hands of the Palua brothers.

The effortless way his team salvaged what could have been a desperate and costly, not just in life, situation reassured Steve that any doubts the task force could be clinging onto ever more fraying strands of life were dismissed by Kono's sniper skills taking the older Palua out and Danny talking the other younger less volatile brother to drop the gun he held on Steve while the other arm was wrapped round his neck.

Chin almost kicking the living crap out of the guy when Palua Junior reached for the gun to shoot Steve when they thought they could relax sort of put the seal on the whole thing and despite his pain and discomfort, Steve couldn't help the grin on his face then and which remains till now.

Danny glances at him and gesturing with one finger towards him while cramming the remainder of the hot dog into his mouth, says through Tabasco sauce stained lips and with sausage spitting out in an ungainly way 'Chin, Kono, I think rather than staying on this beach all night, we gotta take this imposter to the hospital and check we didn't get the fake McGarrett instead of the real one' he pinches Steve's arm and cheek pretty hard really to which Steve exclaims a loud 'OW!'

He then cocks his head to one side, narrowing his eyes 'Nah, it's okay I think we got the real one, it's just unsettling, all this grinning, babe, stop it now, please be broody again, it messes with my equilibrium'.

'Equilibrium? Oh and by the way fuck you Danno' says Steve smiling even more broadly and they all laugh.

The idea to camp out on the beach wasn't from any of the four but from Malia. In an effort to be rid of her devoted, well meaning but ever so slightly suffocating husband, she suggested they take themselves somewhere quiet to put what's been and done behind them or at the very least to have a few beers, give some demons a hiding and start to look forward again and here they are.

They break open the beers once the sausages are finished and while the steaks are being prepared by Steve who even with just one good arm could make an Australian cry with the quality of his barbequing and it's all small talk initially until Danny decides it's time to rip the band aid away from the wounds and fixes Steve with a stare 'So babe, you ever going to talk about what happened with your Mom?'

* * *

'It's pretty simple really, I found out by mother's still alive, has no reasonable explanation and Joe White is a snake' To untrained ears it's pretty convincing, but these aren't untrained ears.

'But?' says Kono 'There's a but here right?'

Steve suddenly appears overly interested in the mat he's plucking with the fingers of his good arm.

'Steve?' prompts Chin.

'Is it normal for me to want to know more, to regret walking away and yet still hate what she did to us all because that's what I feel and I want to go find her, bring her back here and get her to face Mary and me and explain it all and why she felt it best to tear us apart rather than let it all die naturally?, no matter the risk to her if Wo Fat finds out, I actually care little, I just have to know' He sighs 'So I've booked a flight for 3 weeks time and I'm going to find her again and I've booked two flights home'

He shrugs and looks up, his expression hard to read.

'Babe, I'm proud of you' At the fleeting but present look of surprise on Steve's face, Danny continues 'It's braver than I thought you possibly be, even you, you big lug, and you know what if you need some company or moral support, I'm here or there, just say okay?' With no reaction except a small smile he repeats the final world 'Okay?'

'Mahalo' is all Steve says.

'Danny's right, Steve, it's a big step but we're at your back if you need us' At Chin's words, Kono nods vigorously and puts forward her bottle as a sign of agreement and the clinks as the four bottles meet seal the deal.

Steve clears his throat 'Enough about me, Chin, how's Malia, the physical therapy going okay?'

'Oh yeah, but man that lady is one BAD patient, my god - she hates being in the chair but they've assured us it's temporary till she gets the strength back in her lower back and if all goes to plan, she'll be using a frame in 3 weeks and walking, albeit with a stick in 2 months so she's very lucky' Chin lets out a small bitter laugh then drops his head down suddenly 'Except she was targeted for no good reason other than she's married to me and it's my fault and not only that but she got shot, almost lost her life, almost lost her ability to walk and I don't feel I can protect her anymore so she's dealing with having to come to terms with all that while I fuss round her and try to protect from Delano or gods knows what else will come and bite me in the ass and not only that but.. his voice trails away for a moment before he looks them all in the eyes but stops with Kono 'I pretty much sealed your fate .' And again his voice trails away.

Kono moves closer to Chin who's now looking downwards and lifts his chin up with one hand to face her.

'I'm here cuz, real, live and in the flesh and all the time you spend beating yourself up over this won't change anything or turn back the time, besides there's only person to blame here and that's Delano, not you, NEVER you and we'll get him, we will'. Chin allows himself a small hesitant smile and Kono grins.

'That's better! You're in danger of sending this little get together into a festival of gloom so come on, celebrate that Malia **will** be okay, I'm here, we all are'.

And Chin's learnt over the last couple of years that there is no disagreeing to be done with Kono so he simply says. 'I'll drink to that' and they all clink bottles again.

* * *

Steve moves his bottle away first 'There's never been a right time to ask this Kono, but how the hell did you get out of the water?'

Kono and Chin exchange a quick glance while Danny sends his eyes heavenwards for a moment.

'Oh come on guys, you all know and I was busy with well..yeah, so come on' If there was any doubt they'd say no, Steve McGarrett turns on the puppy eyes says a small 'please?' and very few in the history since he cultivated the puppy eyes have been known to resist so with a roll of her eyes as the token protest, she nods.

'Ok, here goes...there are 4 different elements I'm grateful for after that evening, my lung capacity, Chin Ho kelly, Danny Williams and cell phones, yeah and Adam Noshimuri'

Steve raises his eyebrows a little but lets her continue.

'When I was a kid, I always used to play hold your breath contests underwater - my record was a 1 min 45 seconds but as I got older and practiced more as I got older, I got it to over 2 and half minutes, that was in a pool though, not in the ocean, luckily adrenaline apparently gives you a little more energy, temporarily at least' She pauses for a moment taking a sip from her beer then shakes it as it's empty to be replaced immediately with a full bottle from Chin.

'I completely froze as I fell into the ocean, luckily I didn't hit the side of the boat or anything but when they'd taken me, they clipped the side of my head so I was a little fuzzy, so I hit the ocean hard and luckily that loosened the duct tape and I wasted precious energy in the water until it came loose and fell off, I immediately swallowed what felt like half the ocean but in reality probably just a tiny gulp and all the time I was sinking further down and I was in some kind of daze until somehow I got out of the daze and then I panicked a little bit, actually a lot' The sound she makes on the last word is half cry/half laugh 'And then I thought of Chin and the decision he'd just made and I tried to kick but it was so hard with my feet tied and I kept trying to get them loose but there was no way and using my teeth on the ropes on my hands was just impossible so I just had to do improvised tiny little movements with my feet and I kept lifting my hands as far as I could above me and bringing them down but it was so hard'

As she speaks, she appears ever more out of breath as though she's back in the water so recognizing Kono's need for a break as she relived what she'd been through, Chin takes up the story from his point of view.

'As soon as I got in the car and was speeding home to where I hoped Malia would be okay, I thought to hell with the consequences and called Danny, somehow or other I got out the words to say what had happened but of course we had no way of knowing where she was or where the boat had been'

'So I got hold of the Coastguard' Danny takes over the story 'and they didn't believe the urgency of what I was saying and all that time, Kono had been in the water for too long already, so I called the Governor who well let's face it, he's used to what comes with us now and he believed me and he got the coastguard out to pick up what I thought would be, well, Kono's body'

Silence stays for what feels like minutes but is actually seconds.

'But you're here Kono, what happened?' Steve says struggling to believe that she's there now, large as life.

'I was basically beginning to feel my lungs burn and I was feeling sleepy, simply put I was drowning and it's not a good way to die, believe me but when they took me from my apartment, they had an audience who weren't sure what was going on but they were curious enough' she corrects herself 'or at least they were under orders to be curious enough to follow where I was taken and they saw the boat I was taken onto and I don't know how but they got a boat too and they found the boat in time to see me sink over the side'

'If they saw you go overboard, why did they wait?' Steve asks.

'They had a phone call to make to ask what to do when the women they were tailing was thrown over, and then they had to find me and then I felt something hit me on the head and then another thing, and I was pretty tired and disoriented but I managed to pull on one of the ropes hard enough that they could get an idea for was and then I felt moments later I felt hands on me and I fought them, found a new energy from somewhere and I kicked with my tied feet until they pulled me up and out of the water and onto the boat and I blacked out for a while'

Danny takes over again 'The coastguard were told to stop every single boat they came across just in case, it was dark so they'd resume any search they needed to for Kono at first light, by then the boat Kono had been thrown off was long gone but they struck lucky and found a boat unmanned by anyone but with a small figure wrapped in a blanket but shivering and barely conscious, I was waiting at the dock when they brought her in'.

'I don't really remember anything of when they found me on the boat, I was taken to the ER to be checked over with Danny at my side and went home about 12 hours later once they were satisfied I'd be okay and all was quiet except for confusion about how I got out, until I got this' She reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out a note which she hands to Steve, a brief message it simply reads 'Get well soon A x'

'The note came with some flowers and grapes, I've texted Adam since asking what he was doing having people following me and I should feel outraged but it saved my life so I feel anger, confusion, gratefulness and something else which I don't really want to acknowledge right now' she lets out a large breath 'Can this be the last time we talk about this please?' Her big eyes look at each of them in turn. 'I have to come to terms with this on my own terms in my own time and I need to alone'.

Again no words, just a clinking of beer bottles and Kono smiles.

'Mahalo'.

* * *

Night is falling faster and the sky is clear except for stars everywhere and for a few moments there's silence as they breathe easier and start to relax.

'It's Thursday that you're seeing the new Attorney isn't it, Danno?' Steve asks shaking everyone out their slumber.

Danny nods. 'Yeah, I called Rachel earlier to give her one last chance to relent but she's got this major Jekyll/Hyde thing going on right now probably stoked by Step-Stan so yeah, it's all on and I just reminded Grace of all the conversations we had in Vegas and before that I just care for her and we want to make sure we get this decision right and I'll completely nail her ass, Rachel's that is and hopefully Step-Stan'll regret the moment he ever accepted that job in Vegas, except I left out those last two bits, so yeah it's all good'. He finishes with a wry smile.

'She's the best child custody attorney in Hawaii, Danno, she'll get Gracie for you' Says Steve

'Well if she does, it's you I gotta thank too, babe for giving me the chance to afford this, you didn't have to'.

'Yeah, I did so shut up and carry on with your drink' So he does before looking around at this little part of his Ohana. 'We're going to be okay guys, we're doing pretty well so far after all, right?' They nod their agreement. 'So can we please start talking about how we're going to avoid getting dressed up as human shave ices and shrimps tomorrow or just get completely drunk and forget all about it?'

'I'll drink to that' Chin says simply.

'If you insist' says Kono as Steve reaches behind him and releases the bottle tops on another 4 beers.

* * *

Morning comes too soon - it's 8.30am and the sun shines as it always seems to on this part of the island and this beach, the evidence of the previous evenings refreshments lie where they were they night before and the two tents are quiet except for the gentle snore from one Danny Williams.

15 minutes later and Kono begins to stir, the first thing she notices is how bright the sun is through the tent, the second thing is that she wishes she hadn't had that 6th beer. Rubbing her face and pressing one finger from each hand on either side of her throbbing temple in a circular motion, she looks across at Chin, still sleeping and decides not to wake him. She sits up fully and then moves across to open the tent. As she steps onto the beach, she half expects to see Steve up and about making breakfast having just done a 20 mile run. Apparently he is human after all though as there's no sign of anyone.

She looks out at the sea and along the beach, still deserted and sighs contentedly. Headache apart, she feels good, yes the Adam thing needs to be resolved but she's happy enough.

She decides that the best way to rid herself of the hangover is to tidy up and so she picks up the bottles one by one, moving them over to where the big black sack is and loads them there, that is until a hand clamps down on her shoulder and she drops two of the bottles and lets out a shriek.

'Whoa whoa lady' and there's a laugh and as she turns around, she thinks two things 1. A man that big shouldn't be so quiet and 2. How the hell did he find them?

She's not going to voice the first thing but is about to voice the second when at the sound of her shriek, Steve runs out, boxers only on which Kono takes in appreciatively and looks ready to fight until he blinks at Kamekona and then realization hits and with a brief acknowledging wave and resigned expression heads back into the tent.

Chin comes out fully clothed a moment later 'Everything okay, cuz?' and then sees Kamekona and gets out the question Kono's not had the chance to ask yet.

'How'd you find us man?'

'I already told you brah, I got spies everywhere, I heard you got a cab here and thought you might be hiding so I came to collect you myself in my truck' He starts to laugh.

'As if we'd ever try and get out of this, huh Kono?' He's next to Kono and nudges her, winking over exaggeratedly.

'Sure, can't wait, hey Kamekona, Cuz here was saying how much he loved the shrimp outfit' She feels Chin's glare and returns the over exaggerated wink.

Steve rejoins them a moment later offering a cheerful 'Aloha' whilst eyeing the bags Kamekona is carrying. 'Danny's just woken up, I haven't told him you're here yet Kamekona' he adds.

* * *

5 minutes later and after much muttering and cursing and general complaining from the direction of the tent, a slightly less groomed Danny emerges from the tent but to his surprise no one is there so he looks around him, shouting their names individually. 'Okay guys, this isn't funny, well probably is a little bit but if you've sneaked off then more fool you as I'll be stranded here and not have to take part in the dumb dressing up thing for Kamekona so on second thoughts, don't come out, I'll stay here and finish the beers'

He reaches for the box in front of him and is about to settle down when he sees shadows behind him. 'I was joking guys, so glad you're ba-' he doesn't complete the word as he turns around and is confronted by Steve, Kono and Chin in various bright shades of shave ices in a costume grinning cheerfully and he's about to make some wise ass comment when Kamekona emerges from nowhere holding out a bright pink/orange coloured shrimp costume.

'We thought it'd match your eyes Danno' says Steve laughing.

He glares at them all, curses loudly snatching the costume from Kamekona and stomps off back to the tent 'Remind why I stay in this place, I HATE this Island!'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The explanation for Kono's survival is probably completely outlandish but I daresay if she survives in the show, it'll be a similarly miraculous escape so hope you can forgive any daft nonsense therein! Thanks for all the kudos I've received so far and the lovely reviews. I really appreciate it.


End file.
